Officer suspended over use of Taser

An officer who used a Taser disabling weapon against a woman in Redmond last summer was suspended for one week without pay after an internal investigation.

The suspension was imposed on Lt. Charles Gorman in November, said Jim Haney, Redmond city attorney.

The woman, Leila Fuchs, sued the city Friday, claiming excessive use of force.

The disciplinary action arose out of the use of the Taser, which fires an electronic charge to subdue suspects.

Haney said Tuesday that the suspension was ordered after an internal investigation concluded the use of the Taser was "considered to be improper under the circumstances."

Recommendations made through the internal-investigation process are reviewed by the police chief, who makes the final decision on whether to take action. A one-week paid administrative leave also was imposed while the investigation was being conducted, Haney said.

The internal investigation followed a $1 million claim filed with the city in October over the incident, he added. The claim was denied.

The incident involved a minor traffic accident July 10 in which a car driven by Leila Fuchs, 34, a technical writer, rear-ended a car stopped at a red light. Fuchs is a diabetic and said in her suit that she suffered a "diabetic episode," leading to the collision.

Gorman was among several officers responding to the accident. A police videotape of the episode shows Gorman breaking a passenger-side window after Fuchs failed to respond to requests that she unlock the car's doors.

Police reported that they first thought they were responding to a drunken-driving incident and that Fuchs seemed to be glassy-eyed and unresponsive.

In a report on the incident, Gorman said he warned Fuchs he was about to discharge a Taser and then fired at her from about five feet away. The videotape shows Fuchs appearing to shudder and then being removed from the car, falling to the ground, and then being led away in a standing position. Medical technicians later determined she was diabetic.

Neither Haney nor the James Egan law firm in Seattle, which represents Fuchs, would comment on possible implications of the disciplinary action on the outcome of the lawsuit.

Peyton Whitely: 206-464-2259 or pwhitely@seattletimes.com